Williams, Lee Come Home! Astros Hit it Big!

Christmas has come early and Astros’ fans have much to be thankful for!

Kudos and a pat on the back to Tim Purpura! Carlos Lee is a Houston Astro! And so is Woody Williams. Apparently Purpura was working overtime during the holiday.

Lee gets six years, $100 million and Williams two years, $12.5 million. Too much? Just right? My guess is that this is just the beginning and it puts the Astros in a position to add more pieces, either through free agents (Clemens/Pettitte) or trades.

True to the predictions, Carlos Lee made his decision by the weekend! And Williams came along for the ride one day after Thanksgiving!

Purpura has come through with the biggest player move of his tenure as general manager by adding Lee. Bringing Williams aboard will help solidify the pitching staff which may be without Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte.

Sound off on the Carlos Lee deal, the acquisition of Williams and what it means for the Astros. Are these good moves for the Astros? For Lee, it’s a lot of money and a lot of years. What are your thoughts?

And, now, what’s next? Maybe Andy’s had some time to think over Thanksgiving and this will be enough to get him enthusiastic.

More on the Lee signing later, but for now, bask in the excitement and enthusiasm of one of the biggest off-season days in Astros’ history.

Shea, I agree completely. And if Rocket really wants Ausmus that badly when he’s pitching in Boston, I would also gladly take Varitek. Aside from when he got injured last year (a fluke if you ask me) the guy is one of the best catchers in the majors hands down.

I think Carlos Lee will easily get above 40 HR’s assuming that he stays healthy. He’s a right-handed hitter with a short porch in left field; if that doesn’t spell 40+ HR’s, nothing does.

I don’t think Jason Jennings is enough for Chris Burke. Call that overvaluing a guy with no pop and little defensive skill, or whatever. If the Rockies are so interested in Burke, how about sending over Garrett Atkins, Clint Barmes, or Matt Holliday.

I hope Randy Wolf has fun with Nomar and the rest of those overpaid losers next season.

And as far as “lisa gray”‘s comments….

Once she learns how to write like an adult, then I’ll read them.

And Lee, I never realized El Caballo was such a worthless tub of lard either. Never mind his cool nickname (hey, it’s better than Big Puma, or Big Toe, or whatever they’re calling Lance these days), the fact that he hits the ball really hard, or actually STEALS bases.

I must admit that I’m mystified why a cleanup hitter would be stealing bases. He must really be a team player.

I wish I had jerlandos’ bank account. $100 million and we didn’t overpay!!!

But, we do need that big bat in front of Berkman. It’s a good signing and I think it will work out fine.

Woody Williams? Richard Justice says he’ll teach the youngsters a good work ethic. If they haven’t learned that from Andy or Roger they never will. Oh well, Woody’s a Houston boy in the twilite of his career, so why not throw a few million at him and bring him home? You could make the same arguement for the first President Bush, except he played first base and we don’t need one of those.

Thank you for you well written, well reasoned and insightful comments Ms. Gray. I never realized El Caballo was such a worthless tub-of-lard. I only wish that Tim P. and Drayton had done their research before they signed Lee to a $100 million contract (you have to hate those frivolous owners like Drayton that just throw money at free agents without giving it a second thought…). I only wish that you were working in the Astros front office last week and could have stopped them from making such a devasting acquisition before they destroyed the team.

Last year (remembering he pitches in Colorado)he had a 3.78 ERA – 12th in the NL (Willis ERA 3.87) while pitching 212 innings (Oswalt 220, Pettitte 214). He walked 85 (Zambrano walked 115 in 214 innings) and batters hit .258 against him. His record was poor because he basically got no run support. Based on last year’s performance a case could be made that he is a possible #2.

However, one year is not fair to judge a player, but either is it fair to judge based on the entire career. You have to look at what a player has done most recently and what he did last year was solid.

Estrada may only be a singles hitter – but at least he hits for average. That is a big improvement over Ausmus. The reason he was being suggested is that there are few decent hitting catchers available and clearly the catcher position is one of the worst offensive positions on the Astros and therefore it makes sense to target as an area for improvement. That and the fact that Estrada’s salary is was affordable.

As for Lee…The guy stole 19 bases out of 21 attemtps last year and he will be playing in a shorter left field at MMP.

He may not be the best defender, but his career zone rating is .858 which is higher than Jason Bay (.850 career), Adam Dunn (.845), and Hideki Matsui (.843 career) as some examples.

So, he may not be any great fielder, but there are worse power hitting left fielders.

Before you criticize Lee’s weight, how about waiting and seeing how he manages his weight over the long term? To date it has not been an issue and he has been very durable. Some people are just large built. It does not mean they are fat or going to become fat.

Scratch Randy Wolf off the potential Astros’ list. He’s apparently telling teams he’s about to sign with the Dodgers. No price mentioned, but he’s apparently willing to take a lesser contract to play near his Canoga Park, California, home.

Please don’t trade Taveras. He’s only 24, he has a tremendous arm that has made some sick (and by sick, I mean downright awesome) plays, and he’s only going to get better. Do you really want him playing against you? Do you really want to break up that chemistry with Luke Scott? That’s just wrong.

Get a better hitting catcher, but keep Ausmus around (his contract ends this year anyway). If our pitching goes all to hell with someone else, then you can put him back as starter, but if not, and another guy is hitting 50 points higher (like say, Bengie Molina), then let’s not start Ausmus.

I DO remember Ausmus’ numerous clutch hits including that 2 out 9th inning shot to send that 18 inning playoff game to extra innings, but honestly we need a guy who comes through every day too. I love Ausmus and what he has meant to this team, but I think it’s time to start someone else. Yes, his 4 million is a lot for a backup catcher, but I’m not the one who inked that retarded deal (which if you check the press from when it was signed, boggled the minds of national sportswriters), so tough noogies to the front office. Pony up the cash and improve that spot in the lineup.

And keep Ensberg playing third. He is only a couple of years removed from being in the top 5 of MVP voting, and I feel a monster year coming on. He was hurt last year and tried to gut it out, don’t give him flak for that.

Did the Astros over pay for Carlos Lee? Probably. But where do you and others come off saying he’s an overweight, bumbling, slow, fat guy. Okay, he’s obviously not the best defensive player in the game and he may play an occasional single into a double. He’s average in the field, NOT terrible! But it’s also possible his 30 HRs a season becomes 35+ with the Crawford Boxes.

Obviously you do not agree with the Lee acquisition. However, if you are an Astros fan you should not be calling him fat or lazy. Your whole post was disgraceful – not to mention completely negative and offered zero solutions for improving the team.

You really should consider supporting another team if you feel the way you do. Otherwise, disagree respectfully, get on board, and move forward with some positive recommendations.

Right on, Andrew. We’re on a roll here. It’s pretty messed up that two guys that aren’t even signed (and one, Rocket, who I’ve had enough of) have an influence over who plays catcher.

Remember last year when Clemens hinted he’d much rather pitch to Ausmus (hint, hint). Well, to hell with that. Go ahead and pitch in Boston, Rocket. Maybe Houston will trade Ausmus to Boston for you. We’ll take Varitek off your hands straight up

Manny, Tejada, Willis. Let’s be real they are very good players and their team are not going to let them go unless you pay a very high price.”

Of course they are going to cost something – because they are very good “impact” players. So what? You have to give something to get something. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you are improving the team in the process.

“So let’s use what we have.”

Oh yea.. and continue to be one of the worst offenses in MLB. Do you honestly think Lee is all it will take with the lousy top and bottom of the lineup? Lee was needed last year – and that was assuming that Lane and Ensberg would produce – which they both failed miserably.

Morgan has also demonstrated to be highly inconsistent and dishonest about his injuries.

Give Lane a chance? How many chances do you suggest?

Adam saved the Astros on defense and cost the Astros on offense just about as much.

You believe that Andy is going to return for two years? Based on what? You really want a guy that has only pitched well for half a season, has had elbow problems, and has basically stated that he lacks the desire to return? Not to mention skipping out on much of spring training last year.

“Let’s get real”

Yes, let’s do…. The Astros are far from being competitive at this point. Andy and Roger returning would be a huge plus, but probably not enough for the big show – especially being only half year pitchers. There are still other things that are needed to improve the offense and pitching staff to make this team a serious contender.

i would like just ONE of yall here who think signing lee to 6 years for his age 31 – 37 season at 16.6 mill a year was fantastic can just ONE of yall can name ANY other ballplayer besides babe ruth who was 50 – 60 pounds over fat at age 30 and kept his age 30 production for at least 150 games in the OF for the next 6 years. and remember, on our team, carlos can’t DH or play first, so whatever big fat guy yall found has to be a full time OF.

every single fat OF i found who had stats like carlos lee was either a DH, at first base or out of baseball by age 34. lets see if yall can do better.

– and is there ANYONE out there who really thinks that big fat guys are honest about their listed weight? like WHO believes that bartolo colon only weighs 240 pounds? or frank thomas only weighs 275? if you do i got a bridge in brooklyn to sell yall. real cheap.

jason jennings is 6’2″ 235 pounds. go take a look at him (he got NO fat on him), then take a look at carlos lee. is there really a single person out there who thinks that carlos lee weighs the exact same as jason jennings?

puhleeeeze

and like i said i will take it all back if someone can find an OF just like carlos who kept up with his age 30 production with at least 150 games in the OF, none at DH or first for – well, let’s try 4 years – which is how long his no trade is for.

haven’t you watched our games with the brewers? carlos doesn’t get to balls well, has lousy range and an ok arm. he prefers to let anything that does not come right to him fall in for a single, then he’ll play it on a hop. he’s not gonna ever get to ANYTHING near the LF bullpen. i would be surprised if he could get to balls in the corner fast enough to hold bengie molasses to a single. he’s gonna make preston wilson’ glove look like carl crawford’s out there.

ask any brewers or rangers fan if you think i’m wrong.

– and by the way, on what planet is jason jennings a #2 starter? you are talking bout a guy with a lifetime ERA+ of 103. and here are his lifetime away splits – 4.37 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a .265 BAA. you DO know he is a FA next year right????? you DO know what league average in the NL SP are going for, right?

– and exactly who is it thinks that vernon wells is too stupid to go into the free agent pool next year? that guy is gonna get at LEAST soriano money and years. and you think drayton is gonna fork that over NOW? cmon. if he was gonna fork over dough like that he shoulda done that for wells instead of lee. we don’t have anyone except berkman or oswalt that the jays would want for a star like wells. they are trying to beat the yanks THIS year, remember? they aren’t rebuilding.

and by the way, exactly WHAT evidence does anyone here have that roger or andy have ANY interest in coming back? because everything i have heard they have said sez exactly the opposite.

estrada is no great loss. he’s a singles hitter with NO power who hits into a lot of DP and runs like bengie molina.

as for adam everett getting traded, you have to have SOMEone to catch the baseball since you want to get rid of ensberg too and put a lead glove there instead. it makes a LOT more sense to bat him second and bat biggio 7th.

Does aynone remember AUSMUS 9TH INNING, 2 OUT HOME RUN in the 18 INNING GAME? Gold gloves are voted on by oppopsing managers. Often they are mistakenly given to the best offensive player at the position. But in Ausmus’ case we know that’s not true. Opposing managers must see something in him that most of you do not.

Manny, Tejada, Willis. Let’s be real they are very good players and their team are not going to let them go unless you pay a very high price. So let’s use what we have. Morgan showed he can be selective and can get on base and he is very good in defense, so keep him and let him hit second, keep Burke in the field cf/2b and let him hit between Adam and Ausmus. Astros will be a lot better in 2007, the young pitchers now have experience, Scott and Burke have the heart needed. I believe Lane is going to prove that he is good, let’s give him a chance. Enough complaining about Adam and Ausmus, both are gold gloves………..How many

times in crucial situations Adam has come with a gem at ss and got us out of trouble. This game is not only hitting. I believe Andy is going to comeback for two more years.

Estrada was a very good pickup by the Brewers. The Astros now have to get at least another pitcher via trade or see if Lilly/Suppan/Wolf are available at less than $8 million a year. They should still look at trading for another bat or sign Molina if he comes for less than $8 million a year.

Clemens and Pettitte should be back, but if we’re not supposed to count on them, then the Astros need to shore up the offense and pitching some more still.

Randy Wolf is worth a gamble. How big a gamble? I dunno. Ted Lilly and Gil Meche are probably better options, but they are likely going to be too high-priced.

Wolf — if he returns to his form — will be a bargain at $7 million per year. If he returns to his form…the question is, will he? The experts say Tommy John cases are best a year and half to two years after surgery and that’s where Wolf is.

Question: If Woody Williams is worth $6.5 million a year for two years for 140ish innings per year, is $7 million too much to gamble on Wolf?

Of course, now the Astros don’t have gambling money. Most of that went out the door with Carlos Lee.

Too bad Estrada is out of the mix as an available catcher, but I don’t understand the comment that we can’t afford Randy Wolf if it’s 3 years at $7-8 per. Why not? If we don’t have Pettitte back, we’ve got a gaping hole in the rotation, ane even if Andy DOES come back, there’s nothing wrong with having another lefty starter. I’d love to feel that Hirsh, Albers and Sampson could be a solid 3-4-5, but that’s a lot of luck cashing in at the same time.

And for god sakes people, give Taveras a chance. He’s *24* years old. two years removed from AA and hasn’t hit his prime. He’s batting .284, steals 34 bases and his defense is vastly improved. Yes, he has to be more patient at the plate and start developing gap power, but people talk about him here like he’s washed up. Let me repeat…TWENTY FOUR YEARS OLD. With Lee and Luke in the OF we need his speed in center.

If McLane and Tim P “sit on their hands” for the rest of the off season, then thats good news. That means Pettitte and Clemens are coming back. There is no way Drayton and Tim go into 2007 with Oswalt and Williams and 3 question marks! So relax. Pitching will be taken care of one way or another. Heck, they may even add another quality bat via trade. I like peoples suggestions of trading for Wells.

Well, I really don’t see the Stros picking up another top of the line player via free agency or trade. I think they will pick up a few pieces here and there just to make due with what they have. I hate to say it but I really think Tiny Tim and Uncle Drayton will probably sit on their hands the rest of the offseason.

-Contract: 3 years remaining for 38 million total (slightly backloaded contract)

-Baltimore management: GM Mike Flanagan, VP Jim Beattie, and owner Peter Angelos, collectively known as one of the worst in the league at completing deals or making decisions of any sort

-Serviceable SS

Vernon Wells:

-Contract: 1 year at 5.6 million

-Toronto GM: GM Paul Ricciardi, moneyball alumnus who is not so hot on losing Wells to free agency without compensation beyond draft picks

-Gold glove CF

You can debate the on-the-field numbers all you want, but Tejada isn’t going anywhere while Wells most likely will be somewhere by the trading deadline this year if not earlier. Other teams have more to offer, but that doesn’t prevent wishful thinking. Plus, of all the teams who could keep Wells with a longterm extension, I’d give the Astros as good a shot as anybody. We almost got Beltran, and heck, he ain’t even from here.

WELOME TO THE HOUSTON ASTROS: CARLOS LEE & WOODY WILLIAMS SO PUT THE ASTROS TO TOP FOR 2007 & GIVE HOUSTON A WORLD SERIES WIN IN 2007. GLAD YOU ARE HERE. SO WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE ASTROS WELL I AM HOPING FOR LEFT-HANDED STARTER TED LILLY LEFT-HANDED BULL-PEN PITCHER MIKE GONZALEZ BACK-UP CATCHER GARY BENNETT, THIRD BASEMAN PEDRO FELIX CENTER FIELDER CARL CRAWFORD, RIGHT HANDER PITCHER STOPPER JASON ISRINGHAUSEN. THERE IS ONE GREAT THING THE ASTROS DID FOR A CHANGE WAS GIVE CARLOS LEE A NO TRADE CLAUSE THEY WAS GREAT. SO I AM STILL HOPING TO GET A NEW TEAM FOR 2007. G-O- A-S-T-R-O-S………

i hear everbody talking about trading for crawford and well ,i say why not keep taveras and go after the guy we wanted during the trade deadline last season , miguel tejada who is good at ss and as a #4,5 hitter in the line up ,and not to mention he plays every game of the season

For the past (3)yeas, the Astros success was hinged solely on great pitching. Roger Clemens served as the catalyst and was deservingly paid (20)million a year. However, some may argue that the signing of Clemens was a waist and a marketing acquisition because the there were no key aquisitions made to improve the Astros anemic offense. With the signing of Lee, it appears that a reversal of fortunes has occurred. The Astros have the offense but now there lacking in pitching. I am so proud of Mclane for signing Lee, however, I would hate to see (100) million dollars go to waist if Clemens and/or Petitte do not return to complete the ingedients for a champioship caliber team.

Houston is a unique position with the wealth of major league talent that originated in a hundred mile radius around the city. Pettitte, Clemens, and Williams demonstrated what the hometown can offer, and frankly these signings do speak negatively somewhat on Purpura just based on his tendency to overpay for players who were pretty much good bets to come here anyways. Did he really believe that Lee was going to bolt to Baltimore if he stood firm on 6 years 90 mill??? Anyways, that point aside, the Astros can pat themselves on the back for a week or so before jumping back on the horse. Let’s get some more hometown stars, in particular 1) Vernon Wells, but only in a trade-and-sign situation; and 2) Carl Crawford, who is below Wells for the simple fact that he is 99% likely to stay put (cheap for at least two more years, and Hunsicker is not stupid). We’ve got the chips to move: the stocks of Taveras, Scott, and Wheeler among others will probably never be higher; Ensberg (whose OBP Ricciardi would love, if they could make space for him) and Hirsch are two others that could go up or down, but some sacrifice has to be made. If Pettitte and Clemens come back, that would give us 5 starters including Oswalt, Williams, and Hirsch, so frankly I don’t think we have the luxury of going after Wolf at what will probably be a 3-4 year, 7-9 mill per year kinda deal. B. Molina is realistic at two years 8-11 million, but not an essential buy if the market drives his salary beyond that. Let’s hope the Astros keep the momentum going through the offseason and into spring training, they’ve got a good start and I def know I’m aiming for el Caballo in my fantasy leagues. 48+ homers thanks to the Crawford boxes!!

For some reason, the Astros have this love affair with Ausmus. It makes little, sense, other than he seems to be a great guy and gets along with/helps pitchers. Oh, and the ladies think he’s sexy.

However, there’s only so much that can be done. Someone posted that he saves 100 runs a year. Do you really believe that? Where’s the proof? There is none.

He shouldn’t have one the Gold Glove, for starters. Yadier Molina should have.

The proof is in his offensive numbers, which are among the five worst for regulars in the major leagues. You sholdn’t have he and Ausmus in the same lineup and, guess what, Everett is easily the better defender, better offensively, runs well and is nearly a decade younger. It’s a no brainer.

The Astros will improve themselves if they simply give Quintero 400 AB and Ausmus 200, although adding Estrada would have been nice. From what the Brewers gave up, it wouldn’t have taken much.

Is it unrealistic to think that the ‘Stros would do something crazy via trade? I would think they would try and get another pitcher via trade to try and shore up our rotation just in case Roger and Andy decide to either retire or play elsewhere. Hopefully they won’t hold us hostage for too long. I would rather they say they were playing somewhere else rather than dragging us along. They know the city deserves better than that.

Willy T has developed into a nice defending CF, but his offense is horrible. That hitting streak is really misleading. His OBP is well below average for leadoff and he simply cannot hit with runners on.

No one is suggesting to trade Willy and play Lane in RF. They are suggesting to trade for an all around CF such as Crawford or Wells. That would then free up Willy as trade bait for a quality pitcher – possibly in a package for Willis.

Harry, the issue with Ausmus is that he is one of four bat’s in the lineup that are very poor.

The top of the lineup is below average. Willy’s OBP is below average for either a #1 or #2 and his OPS is horrible. Biggio is going to keep playing until he get’s to 3000. So, nothing is going to happen with Biggio.

At the bottom of the order you have Ausmus and Everett. There are few options for short available, so nothing is going to happen there.

Lee is a great addition, but something more is needed at either the top or bottom of the lineup. Since nothing is going to happen with Biggio or Everett, that leaves CF or catcher where something has got to happen to improve the offense further.

The other issue with catcher is that this is likely Ausmus’ last year and the current replacements are not real impressive at the moment. So, if you can get someone to improve the offensive at catcher this year and be a catcher for the future, then great.

That is why you are seeing – and will continue to see people asking for improvement in the catcher position.

“However, enough of this “Who should we trade/sign next?” business. Let’s just be happy with what we have for now, shall we?”

Of course we are happy, but Lee and Williams are not enough – even if Rocket and Pettite return they are probably not enough.

Woody simply fills Backe’s hole in the rotation. Lee is the big bat that the Astros needed to sign last offseason assuming that Ensberg and Lane were going to produce like they did on ’05 – which they did not.

So, there is still work to be done.

The Astros still need another consistent bat and a #2 pitcher.

So no, let’s not stop with the “Who should we trade/sign next?” “business”.

I keep seeing suggestions on these pages that Willy Taveras might be available to be traded. DO NOT TRADE Taveras!! With Lee in left and probably Luke in right, we need more than ever a centerfielder with Taveras speed who can cover for the defensive shortcomings of the other two, and having him as a steal or baserunning threat ahead of Berkman and Lee is going to pay big offensive dividends. I am beginning to like the makeup of the team that is taking shape. Only two changes really need to be made. First, Ensberg should be traded while he still has market value. With Huff or Lamb at third we would definitly have a defensive dropoff from Morgan, but I think more offense would be worth it. Secondly, we should replace EITHER Ausmus or Everett, but not both. Everett is probably the best defensive shortstop in baseball and the pitchers love to work with Ausmus and he is a good defensive catcher, but this team can’t afford TWO weak bats together in the order.

How about a guy that can swing the bat, like Johnny Estrada or Bengie Molina? They can play defense and call games just as well as Ausmus can.

“Ausmus won the gold glove last year…why do so many people want to replace him.”

Because he’s at (or very close to) the end of his rope as a player, and it’s easier to get rid of a guy in the offseason, especially for a GM like Timmy P.

“However, I disagree with all this talk of trading Lidge, at least certainly in the offseason.”

And I disagree with your disagreement. Trading Lidge should be the next move.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Dave Wallace and I think he’ll do a great job with the Astros’ young pitchers. But we as fans already went through one year of Lidge as crappy closer/reclamation project, and I don’t want to see that happen again. They still have Qualls and Wheeler on the roster…and while I’m not dying to see Qualls be the closer (it should be Wheeler or Nieve), I’d rather see him than Lidge. Qualls is nails in September.

“Let’s just be happy with what we have for now, shall we?”

That’s a nice view to have, but you should realize that the Astros as of November 25th are a championship contender with holes.

You have Lee and Williams. Now ZERO in on Randy Wolf, Tim, and if you do, you can be done spendng before December and leava a nice “how about it?” message on Andy’s answering machine.

Oswalt

Pettitte

Wolf

Williams

Sampson (Phil, open your eyes!)

That still leaves Hirsh, Albers, Buchholz, Patton, Clemens as options.

Lee will have a nice ripple effect on the lineup, much like Kent and Alou did. Taveras and Burke are getting better as they get more experience, and although I don’t expect Luke to hit .350, I don’t expect Ensberg to hit .225, either. I’d like to see a catcher who hits .280 so the Everett/Ausmus/pitcher trifecta isn’t an opposing pitcher’s dream, but maybe batting Everett second (great bunter, will see better pitches in from of Berkman/Lee) and Biggio/Burke 7th is a way around it?

Anyway, I’m much more excited about the spring than I was 48 hours ago. Thanks Tim & Drayton!

I think the fans are brainwashed by MLB ownership into worrying too much about the money. All you hear about is “man I’m glad we got Lee, BUT we overpaid”. Give me a break. These franchises are worth from 1/2 to 3/4 Billion. You think these guys(owners ) are overpaying, they’re business people. So don’t lose sleep over them spending “too much money”. I’m just gonna enjoy having Lee and Williams added and watch the wires hoping to see more moves. I’m interested to see what Pettitte does. I think he is the key to what else happens. I’d like to see him in. If not look for Burke to go to Colorado for Jennings. Ausmus/Quintero will catch. Ensberg/Lamb at third. We need another Good lefty for the pen. And if I had my way I would trade for Crawford. If Burke doesn’t go to Colorado he could lead a package to go to Tampa. Most of the time Prospects are overrated. Crawford’s contract ia affordable, he is proven 5 tool Young outfielder.

Wow. Christmas come early, indeed. When I got the news, I was thrilled, to say the least. However, I disagree with all this talk of trading Lidge, at least certainly in the offseason. We have a new pitching coach, so why don’t we see how the two work together first? As for trading Ensberg, I’ve got mixed feelings, because I can understand both sides of the argument. However, enough of this “Who should we trade/sign next?” business. Let’s just be happy with what we have for now, shall we?

Ausmus won the gold glove last year…why do so many people want to replace him. Oh, you want 50 more hits in a season? I’ll take the 100 hits he helps our young pitchers take away from the opposition. W/O Ausmus, Clemens never even would of come here. If that doesn’t demand respect…then you don’t know baseball.

Ausmus has been and will be a very good one and does not need to be replaced. So he doesnt do ALL things right EVER TIME. Overall I think he does the Astros plenty of good. He should not be replaced unless we can get a player with the abilities that Piazza had some years ago.

Even if woody willimas is a #4 pitcher he is our #4 picher not the cardinals (where he probably would have gone if not here). Imagine if a 12-5 3.68 ERA pitcher were penciled into the #4 slot last year. Would the astros not have made the playoff easily. At 6 milion and change with no long commitment Woody williams is a no brainer. Now due what you have to get Andy back and Roger will follow either Randy Wolf or let the youngsters fight for the #5 slot. Or get wolf and still use the youngsters in a 5 1/2 rotation and let Roger, Andy , Woody get extra rest during the season. And if we truly want to upgrade at 3rd base why not Shea Hilledbrand, would be nice not needed a Lamb/Ensberg third base is probalby worth a 280 average 30/35 homers and 100 rbi’s thats a lot of bang for the buck.

Tim P. did a nice job. Now maybe all of you bandwagon idiots who blamed the front office for last year will get off his back and lay the blame where it truly should go-TO THE PLAYERS! If they dont get to the Series this year(assuming Rocket and Pettite come back) it’s not McClane, Purpura, or Garner’s fault. It’s the players!

One other point, when talking about 3rd base-nobody seems to mention Mike Lamb. Why is this? I think if we platoon him and Ensberg and bat them in the 2 spot, the offense would really flow. Those 2 always seem to get on base. If Tavares keeps improving, then you add in Berkman, Lee and Scott after them-that should really be a good offense(especially if we keep Ausmus and Everett in the 7/8 hole).

I think everyone is counting on Luke Scott a little too much. He is 30 and I think he had a career half last season. He has never been a .300 hitter in the minors and I don’t think he will be able to keep up the clutch hitting. It may be best to trade him during the offseason while his value is high.

Lee and Willams. GREAT MOVES!!! What to to next? Withe Eckstien and Hall in the division we need a ss that hits better than .230-.240. I don’t care if he has a 1.00 fielding percentage; if he cant produce at the plate 65% of the time, I don’t want him.

People are crazy … trade away Willie T and Burke and L. Scott, so you can keep Lane .200 to play in the outfield along with the prize free agent Carlos Lee? We need to keep Willie T, he is the most underrated outfield, look at his hitting streak last year – he is a more consistent hitter at the top of the lineup. You get rid of Willie, you gonna have to play old man Biggio at the top of the order. Be real here. We need Willie, Burke and Scott to make the outfield strong. You depleted the outfield and have to play Lance Berk out there is a step backward.

This was a great deal. Most important is the terms. $3M signing bonus + $11M for 2007, 12M for 2008. $18.5 the final four years is high for now, but by then it will be a bargin. Finally, the no trade clause is only for 4 years. If it turns out that he needs to be a designated hitter in 4 years, the ‘stros have the flexibility to trade him.

p.s.s. the $$ on the woodrow signing was too much. the guy is 40. stupid, IMO, but what the hey.

randy wolf, folks. randy wolf. the guy is straight up mean and will improve a year removed from TJS.

but, i shouldn’t rain on such a good day for the astros and such a sunny day in louisville (it was 60 here today texans!). the hometown of burke just wishes he gets the majority of AB at second sack next year.

This was a good day to be an Astros fan. I had “rumored” the Williams signing in my blog yesterday and so I’m glad I wasn’t misled. I also had a feeling Lee would sign with us because his agent hadn’t flown to Baltimore or Philly.

Yes, Clemens and Pettitte will be back now, yes we’ll get a second lefty in the bullpen. No, Ensberg won’t be part of the 2007 Astros (traded for that lefty arm). Yes, Lidge will still be an Astro. Yes, we’ll get more catching help–Estrada for Buchholz anyone??

Tim Purpura and the Astros aren’t done with the off season moves yet so hold tight to the steering wheel–Astros fans are still in for a wild ride in the 2006 off season!

he doesn’t have a very good arm … but i don’t get where all the scribes are calling him slow. he’s no burner, but if he’s slow, he’s at least a good situational base stealer. much like bagwell, who is the best baserunner i’ve ever seen.

don’t count on many more moves, i suspect, other than hoping pettitte and clemens return.

personally, i’m sick of the clemens divastuff. they should ignore him and let him come to them. if he wants to go to boston, fine.

p.s. who cares if ausmus doesn’t want to platoon. it’s not his decision. why does ausmus get all this slack as far as what he wants to do. he’s simply the worst hitter (or, perhaps second to neifi perez) in the majors and has no business on a big league roster.

Agree with prior comments made that today’s signings were moves in the right direction but hopefully the first of more good moves to be made (including the re-signings of Batman and Robin).

Everyone is so fixated on where Carlos tips the scales. cbssportsline lists him at 6 2 and 240, if their measurements are accurate, then he weighs approximately 20 lbs more than Jason Lane and Lance Berkman but seems to move just as well or better out in the OF. Let’s face it, both Lane and Berkman did not inspire much confidence from a defensive standpoint out in the OF as both lack wheels.

No one has mentioned Lee’s arm. Does he have a cannon or just an average arm?

I remember reading earlier in the post-season that Unc Drayton told Timmy to continue as if Clemens and Pettite won’t be returning and that, if they decide to do so, he’d fork over the extra $$ for them. Therefore, that ~$30M or so that we have left doesn’t include them. That leaves us around $8M to spend, plus the extra dough for Clemens. Why would he do this? He knows he’ll make it back if they sign again, so he isn’t worried about it. Those two guys are worth every freakin penny. Even if we just got one of them, that would help our starting picthin a ton (triply so with Rocket). I say we go after a #2, as posted above. Like you said, it’ll be costly, but we need it. Make sure they are relatively young so we can keep ’em for a while (even if Rocket and Pettite come again, it’ll probably be their last. Best to get a #2 to replace them now….unless you can think of another good pitcher who might be available next year….)

We have to keep either Burke or Taveras. We shouldn’t give up both. Scott……I dunno. I’d love to keep him as he showed promise last year. I say try to keep him if you can, though if the return is high enough, trade him. And unless something can be done about 3rd, keep Huff (he was trying to hard IMHO last year) and drop Ensberg, get rid of Lane, and try for someone at C (though not really needed…I’ll keep Ausmus for what he brings to the table besides his bat).

Lee and Woody are great additions. Congrats to Timmy and his staff. Next year will be great.

Lee and Williams cost us nothing but money, so THANK YOU DRAYTON. Now go get Randy Wolf! Pettitte and/or Clemens will hopefully return but with a good GB pitcher (Williams) and a decent lefty (Wolf) we’ll be able to do battle if they don’t.

Gut feeling – Ensberg rebounds by not having th epressure to be the big RBI guy. and without trading anyone or spending one more dollar…

Home:

Taveras CF

Biggio 2B

Berkman 1B

Lee LF

Scott RF

Ensberg 3B

Everett SS

Ausmus C

___ P

Away:

Taveras CF

Ensberg 3B

Berkman 1B

Lee LF

Scott RF

Burke 2B

Everett SS

Ausmus C

___ P

I’d still like to get a better hitting catcher – even if it’s Piazza (Ausmus threw out a horribly low % last year) although a contact hitting guy with an arm would be great. And every 4-5 daysthat 9-hole has Woody Williams, a good hitting pitcher (bat Ausmus 9th that day?)

Both are good additions for the Astros. Obviously we still have needs, starting pitching in particular. Either Pettite or some else. It’s time to put Andys decision on a time limit, so we can move forward. I like Jacks idea of Millar for the bench, that would be a good move. Unfortunately I don’t see much improvement coming for the 7 and 8 hitters. Hopefully quintero shows he can hit major league pitching and unseats Ausmus. A bounce back year from Ensberg wouldn’t hurt either. But at least our off season is off to a good start with todays signings.

GREAT JOB TIMMY! The signing of Lee and Williams is a much needed boost to this franchise. If Tim can acquire a decent hitter such as David Dellucci or Jay Payton and another decent pitcher like Freddy Garcia or Jose Contreras from the sox then Pettite and Clemens will definatly be back in 07. Please Tim dont stop now!

Lee will provide consistency for a lineup that is very inconsistent (with the exception of Berkman).

Woody will make a good #4 veteran pitcher.

I think the Astros overpaid for both, but they did what they had to do. No one can say that Drayton is cheap anymore.

I am somewhat concerned about Lee’s weight over the long term, but it may not be the issue that some are making it out to be. Lee has been very durable up until now.

I am more concerned with Woody’s durabilty. Not just that he is 40, but his innings pitched dropped from the 190’s in ’04, to the 160’s in ’05 and the ‘140’s last year. This does not bode well for the bullpen if Woody cannot be an “innings eater”.

Now what?

First, Lee himself is not enough. The offense still is very weak at the top and bottom.

Biggio is going to play until it get’s to 3000, so nothing is going to happen there. Nothing is going to happen at shortstop either as there are no realy good options available. That leaves catcher, CF. and 3B.

Word is that the Astros were in serious talks for Vernon Wells and Carl Crawford. One of those two to play CF would be a big improvement offensively. Wells is probably better, but he is older and will be an FA next year and will demand a large contract. Unless the Astros can get him to agree on a reasonable contract as part of the trade, they should probably pass. Crawford has a very managable contract, so he would probably be a better choice. However, he will cost the Astros best prospects. If the Astros are going to give up top prospects for someone, than a young proven star makes sense.

As for catcher, Molina is too pricey with Ausmus’ contract and does not want to platoon. So, that is really not a good option. A trade for Estrada would be more cost effective and a better long term solution.

For third I am torn… I was not impressed with Huff last year and unless he is willing to drop from his current salary, which I doubt, then I really would rather stick with Ensberg and improve CF.

As for pitching…

The Astros still need a #2 pitcher. The options are pricey and limited. A Burke for Jason Jennings rumor has been going around. I hate to trade Burke, but Jennings is young with a lot of potential. He is at least a #3 pitcher, and could be better.

A trade of Willy T as part of a package for Willis has also been mentioned on and off; however, the latest word is that the Marlins are increasing payroll to keep both Willis and Cabrera. Willy in a package for Willis would be great if the Astros were to pickup Crawford or Wells.

AS for payroll… It has been said that the Astros had about $30 ml to work with before Woody and Lee (including Pettite and Rocket). Depending on how the two new contracts are loaded, that leaves about $7 ml unless Drayton is willing to expand payroll. Based on how much Drayton shelled out on these two contracts, maybe that is the case.

Personally, I would like to see Crawford and Willis added while keeping Burke if possible. I hate to give up young prospects, but in this case the Astros would be getting two young and proven stars.

Now, if adding Lee, Crawford, Willis, and Woody does not motivate Pettite and Rocket, then nothing will.

Yeah I wish we hadn’t spent so much too but obviously we had to to get him. Now we still have to do something about the bottom of the line-up… we can’t win with Everrett, Ausmus, pitcher every night. Hope something else good happens!

What’s next?? One perhaps lesser move that would help would be to improve the bench by signing Kevin Millar. I think we could get him for about the the same money as Mike Lamb and he would help in several ways. He plays both outfield corners and infield corners and offensively is about as effective as Aubrey Huff. He has, so I understand, a great clubhouse presence and is a real encourager for team members. With Millar and Burke from the right side and Lamb and Palmiero from the left side the Astros would have a high caliber bench. Still would need a good hitting backup catcher though

well, williams came too. this is an outstanding signing day for the astros. i know that $100 mil is pretty steep for the astros and for lee as an overall player but we had to make a statement. the cubs are going all out and the cardinals are world champs. now just a few more pieces of the puzzle and i think we’ll have a solid team.

Thank you, Mr. Purpura, for bringing this big bat into the Astros lineup — just PLEASE DON’T trade Morgan Ensberg! Keep Lidge if you must, but don’t trade Ensberg! Morgan still has a good stick, just had to deal with injury issues last year.

Also, how about Woody Williams as our newest starting pitcher? If we can only keep Clemens and/or Pettite in our starting rotation, it will be one of the very best in MLB.

I think Carlos Lee’s numbers speak for themself… 37 HR’s, 116 RBI, 19SB’s ( http://www.jeffbagwell.com ). He’s without a doubt the stick the ‘Stros need to protect Lance. Now if they will go after Crawford or Wells it may well be the best Astro off season since a couple of guy’s named Roger and Andy…

This was a great signing by the Astros. Lee was a better choice than Soriano, so I was happy to see them go hard after Lee.

He will meet and exceed expectations. He tore it up whenever he played at Minute Maid Park, so I expect big numbers, and the Lee/Berkman tandem will be one of the best in the league.

I do however feel this should NOT be the only move the Astros should make regarding the lineup. The must add another quality bat. It does not have to be an All-Star but a quality hitter. I have been rooting for a Bengie Molina signing, so I hope they can accomplish that.

I do agree they should not ignore the pitching, hopefully something can be done there.

Carlos Lee batting behind Berkman is a huge plus to the Astros’ offense. News that Pettite is returning would now be another big boost. Adding a big power bat without having to give up other players creates the possibility of further additions through trade. Supposedly the price for Crawford in any trade would be young arms. I would advocate trying to work such a deal. If they need to replace Crawford, offer Scott and Hirsch or other young arm of their choice, even Scott plus two arms. The Astros also need to add a #2 or #3 quality starter. An additional lefty in the BP would be nice. Otherwise I would be comfortable with the returning BP. Think someone would trade a # 1 or #2 starter for Lidge? Would that be a good idea for the Astros?

I am happy to see that Purpura finally signed a big name player. Although I do think he overpaid for him, I think he showed that Houston will be a serious player this offseason. I truly hope they can get at least one front line starter to top off their rotation and I truly believe Andy and Roger will fall into line after that.

I would rather see the Stros go after Carl Crawford or Vernon Wells(sign and trade here) first. I would be willing to trade Taveras, Burke, and Hirsh to get either. An lineup with Berkman, Lee, and Crawford or Wells would be a great start. Hopefully either ensberg comes back to form or Lamb picks up the slack. Also if Scott can play the way he did down the stretch we will have a formidble team.

After that we can look at pitching. I reckon Woody Williams should be a fairly easy deal to work out. I would then talk to Andy and Clems to see their thoughts.

Sorry, this is not one of the biggest free agent signings in Astros history. It’s the safe and secure signing that everyone has been expecting for months.

Hopefully, this signing guarantees that we cannot afford Huff and we will turn our attention to pitching. I would rather see Wolf than Williams. Also, will Luke Scott move to right or do we package him in a trade — Johnny Estrada would be nice. Please Purpura, you’ve given us something to be thankful for, now a nice Christmas present would spread some holiday cheer!

Undoubtedly, Carlos Lee’s decision to come to Houston has less to do about money and so much to do about winning. Invariably, Lee would have received similar numbers from other organizations (such as the Phillies); yet, he chose Houston realizing his talent would make an instant impact on this team. Carlos is entering the prime years of his career, and we fans in Houston will be treated to a rising, young talent whose consistent numbers will improve over time. Mr. McLane and Mr. Purpura should be commended for completing this signing.

Hmmmm….6 years?? They got their man, but they shouldn’t stop here. Now they are committed.

Pettite and Roger deserve the attention Uncle Drayton and ‘Cuzin’ Tim are about to give them, because after all, without them we will only win about every fifth game(when Roy is on the mound making people look stupid). If they’re gonna spend this crazy money and help convince Roger & Andy it’ll be fun to come back then they should continue with a trade. There’s a third baseman in Florida that ‘Cuz’ should be going after. The Marlins may say they aren’t looking to trade Cabrera, but Tim needs to make them listen. The organization is losing faith in Ensberg and they have a chance to kill two birds here(or three if you count Poo-Pura gaining our respect with such a move). Tim has plenty of bait on the roster and in the farm and he should use it heavily to land that guy. Rocket and Pettite would have to be seeing diamonds and a nice finish to their careers. Nothing like going out on top. They would own this town and carry a more than legendary status in Houston if they jumped on board and led us to a World Series Championship.

Can you imagine Berkman, Lee, & Cabrerra in the middle of that lineup? Spend the players you have to to get this guy, Timmy. Do it and you may find yourself carrying a semi-legendary status in this town. Until then, I expect more of the same talk about Woody Williams. You are committed with this Carlos Lee deal. Now just committ all the way.

I just saw on the ESPN Bottomline, that the Astros’ have sign Carlos Lee to a 6 year 100 million dollar contract. What? $100 million? Wow, 16.7 million a year. That’s unreal! I like Lee behind Berkman but, that’s alot of money for an overweight leftfielder. That Soriano money. Well I was looking for around 14 to 15 million and not a penny more. We stll need pitching and maybe one more second tier bat in the line up.

Carlos Lee is a very good hitter. Not a great player, but probably worth what he got based on market value right now.

I think the lineup looks pretty good as long as Garner gets creative and employs a home/road platoon with Biggio/Burke (check the splits) and Ausmus gets no more than 300AB this year.

Taveras/Burke will get on base a decent amount of time. C Lee is going to love having Berkman on base all the time. I just hope Luke Scott pulls his weight and protects Lee. Lefties will pitch around Lee for sure to get to Scott if he hits fifth against them.

Sure we overpaid for Lee, but who cares? Purpura did what he had to do to land a legitmate bat to protect Berkman in the order. I am extremely happy. Way to go TimP!!! We countered the Cubs big signing and we’re one up so far on everyone else in our division. Now if we can land a starting pitcher, I’m sure Pettitte and Clemens will want to come back. Things are starting to look alot better in Astroland!!!

I’m VERY excited! I was watching the Texas vs A&M game with my dad and brother and we saw the news on the scroll on the bottom of the screen. I rushed to the computer to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and sure enough, it looks like we’ve got Carlos Lee!!

I’m hoping this signing shows Andy and Roger how comitted the Astros are to giving them more run support. If we still have our Big Three next season, sign somebody like Ted Lily, Woody Williams, or Kip Wells, and perhaps make a few little tweaks, we definitely have a good shot at winning the division. I’m excited to see what else goes down this offseason.

I also hope that Carlos Lee keeps his weight down and we don’t have to deal with that problem. But I’ll choose not to worry a bout that just yet =)

I think this is a great deal for us. By us signing Carlos Lee it saves us from having to trade away players ushc as Burke, Hirsch, Buchholz or Pence for a proven bat. We can now possibly concentrate on pitching. I’m pretty sure Cleens and Pettitte will sign now that we have another power bat. Maybe we can try trading Willy T to the Marlins for one of their young pitchers like Olson or Johnson. Basically, I really like this deal and I think it opens alot of doors for the Astros.